Company History

T. Kobayashi & Co.1891-1917

1891

Founder Tomijiro Kobayashi established T. Kobayashi & Co. on the Yanagihara riverside in Kanda, Tokyo, to trade in soap and match raw materials.
(Photo) Overlooking the Kanda River, the red brick store and warehouse stood between Saemonbashi bridge and the slightly closer Mikurabashi bridge, near what is now 8-ban, Higashi Kanda 2-chome.

1893

1895

Began research and product development focused on the tooth brushing powder market

1896

Launched Lion Toothpowder

1898

Began using a marching band with musicians and an announcer to advertise the Company's products.
(Photo) The marching band consisted of the six musicians of the Hinode Band, also located on the Yanagihara riverside in Kanda, near T. Kobayashi & Co., and one announcer.

1899

Opened the Osaka Branch

1900

Began selling tooth brushing powder packets with donation slips as a social contribution activity (this program continued for 20 years, until 1920)

1901

Opened the Kobayashi Night School for employees.
(Photo) Men's class at Kobayashi Night School, circa 1907.
The school invited famous lecturers to give classes.

1904

Exhibited Lion Toothpowder at the St. Louis World's Fair in the United States, receiving an honorary silver medal

1907

Established Kobayashi Laboratory to test raw materials and conduct research into new products.
(Photo) Kobayashi Laboratory, established to test raw materials for quality management and conduct research into new products, circa 1907.
Established alongside Tokyo Laboratory, this laboratory also accepted commissions from the public.

1910

Opened the Nagoya Branch

1910

Founder Tomijiro Kobayashi passed away aged 59

1910

Established Lion Soap Factory as a partnership firm

1911

Launched Japan's first toothpaste in a tube, Lion Dental Cream

1912

Established policy of concentrating on the tooth brushing business (began consideration of ending handling of other companies' products and spinning off the soap business)

1912

Launched Lion Arai Soap no.1-4, a fatty acid laundry soap

1913

Launched Lion Kodomo Toothpaste for children

1913

Hosted the Company's first public oral hygiene lecture (later named the Lion Public Lectures).
(Photo) Program of the lecture, which was held at the Tokyo YMCA in Kanda. At the time, there were no dentistry specialists publicly teaching oral hygiene, and the lecture benefitted greatly from the participation of Shusaku Midorikawa.

1914

Launched the Banzai Toothbrush, developed based on guidance from the Tokyo Dental School (now Tokyo Dental College)

1916

Moved the Company's base of operations to near Honjo Umayabashi, (Sotote-machi, Honjo-ku, today Honjo, Sumida-ku)

Kobayashi Co., Ltd.1918-1979

1918

Established Kobayashi Co., Ltd.

1918

Lion Toothpowder received certification of excellent quality and effectiveness from the London Institute of Hygiene in the United Kingdom.
(Photo) Certificate of quality and effectiveness from the London Institute of Hygiene, then the world's premiere institution for evaluating the quality of hygienic products.

1921

Established the first dental clinic in Japan to specialize in pediatric dentistry, later renamed the Lion Dental Clinic for Children

1922

Created Oral Hygiene, an eight-reel movie about the science of oral hygiene

1922

Began mass production of Lion Dental Cream following the start of mass production of tubes in Japan

1923

Launched the Lion Banzai Toothbrush No.5 for children

1928

Co-sponsored the first Cavity Prevention Day

1930

Launched large-sized packages of Lion Toothpowder, for families

1932

Co-sponsored the fifth Cavity Prevention Day and held the first Mass Tooth Brushing Drill for children

1934

Completed the new Tokyo Plant.
(Photo) The new factory had a site area of over 2,700 square meters and total floor area of over 6,900 square meters. The modern building had one five-story section, with the rest all two stories. Having previously renovated its Osaka-bun Factory, the completion of the Tokyo Factory meant that the Company had cutting-edge toothpaste factories in both East and West Japan.

1934

Launched Lion Tooth Moistened-Powder, which helped solve such drawbacks of toothpowder as splatter and clumping.

1935

Published The History of Toothpaste, the first history of the Company

1936

Established the Kyushu Office

1937

Launched Medicated Lion Kodomo Toothpaste for children

1939

Launched a promotional campaign centered on the concept of getting 10 million people to brush their teeth before bed

1940

Held the 9th Mass Tooth Brushing Drill for children (the last until 1953 because of the war)

1948

Launched Lion F Cream, Japan's first toothpaste with fluoride

1949

Changed the Company name to The Lion Dentifrice Co., Ltd.

1949

Launched Medicated Lion Toothpaste, a toothpaste packaged in tubes

1951

Launched the Lion Toothbrush with nylon bristles from U.S.-based DuPont

1960

1961

1961

Launched the Cherry Program industrial dental health activity. The Cherry Program grew by targeting companies and workplaces, and offered guidance and advice related to oral hygiene.

1961

Announced the creation of a manufacturing complex with Lion Fat and Oil Co., Ltd.

1962

Launched Tobacco Lion, a toothpowder for smokers

1962

Launched Vitalis hair-styling product for men and Ban antiperspirants and deodorants through a technological tie-up with Bristol-Myers Co. (currently, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company) of the United States

1963

Launched BUFFERIN antipyretic analgesics

1964

1964

Completed the Odawara Plant to mass produce toothpastes

(Photo) The Shinkansen bullet train passes the newly opened Odawara Plant. Designed mainly for the integrated mass production of a small number of products, the plant became the core of the production system to accommodate future diversification.

1964

Established a Marketing Department and introduced the product manager system

1964

Established the Lion Foundation For Dental Health

1965

Launched Rolling Lion, a toothbrush suited for the rolling method of brushing

1965

Established Bristol-Myers Lion Ltd.

1966

Established Lion Dentifrice (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

1967

Formed an alliance with McCormick & Company, Inc. of the United States to sell 82 varieties of seasonings

1968

Launched Etiquette Lion, a toothpaste for preventing bad breath

1968

Established the All Lion Society in cooperation with Lion Fat and Oil Co., Ltd.

1969

Launched Bannet Lion, a toothbrush with an arched handle that makes it easy to brush the back surfaces of teeth

1969

Completed the Akashi Plant to mass produce toothbrushes

1969

Absorbed Kyushu Lion Soap Company

1970

Launched White & White Lion toothpaste in laminated tubes

1971

Completed the new head office building. Cornerstone laying and completion ceremonies were held to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Company's founding on October 30, 1971.

1971

Built the Biological Experiment Center in Odawara as a joint venture with Lion Fat and Oil Co., Ltd.

1971

Established the Consumer Center (later renamed the Consumer Service Office)

1971

Celebrated 80 years since the founding of the Company as T. Kobayashi & Co.

1973

Published 80 Years of Lion Toothpastes, a Company history

1978

Established Lion Products Co., Ltd. with a view to merging with Lion Fat and Oil Co., Ltd.

1980

Merged with Lion Fat and Oil Co., Ltd. to form Lion Corporation

Lion Soap Co., Ltd.1919-1979

1919

The Soap Division of Kobayashi Co., Ltd. was spun off to become Lion Soap Co., Ltd.

1920

Launched Plant-derived Lion Laundry Soap, the first plant-derived soap made in Japan

1922

Entered sales alliance with the mediation office of the National Central Industrial Alliance (later the Zenkouren national buyer's association, which then become part of National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations)

1925

Began laundry training courses to improve living conditions in agricultural and fishing villages

1925

1927

Launched Kumiai Powder Soap through the Zenkouren national buyer's association

1928

Launched Mikuni Powder Soap

1933

Established the Laundry Information Service Center

1936

Completed the Hirai Factory (forerunner to the Tokyo Plant), which housed integrated soap manufacturing facilities as well as a solid-oil refinery, a glycerin plant and an alcohol plant.
(Photo) The Hirai Factory, completed in 1936. The Company's headquarters relocated to Hirai in 1937.

1936

Dissolved the Laundry Information Service Center into the newly established Lion Laundry Science Laboratories on the grounds of the Tokyo Plant.
In 1938, a two-story, 330 square meter laboratory building was completed. The laboratory held lectures on laundering and performed theoretical analyses of the laundering process.

1937

Launched Mikuni Maruseru Powder Soap

1937

Published Standard Household Laundry Methods, a booklet that was adopted as a home economics text at many girls' high schools.
(Photo) This booklet, compiled by the Lion Laundry Science Laboratories, was used as an educational text at many girls' high schools.
Until this point, there had been no authoritative information about laundering. The booklet filled this need with experimental scientific information on many related topics.

1938

Launched Lipon, a high-quality alcohol-based detergent for cleaning such natural fibers as silks and furs as well as tableware

1939

Launched the cutting oil Dash

1940

Formed a capital alliance with Nippon Chemical Industries, a Mitsubishi Group company, and changed the Company name to Lion Fat and Oil Co., Ltd.

1943

1947

Received a Ministry of Commerce and Industry research grant for experimental mining technologies for research related to manufacturing synthetic detergent from oil found in low-temperature tar

1950

Launched Lion Powder Soap

1951

Invested in Toshiba Fats and Oils, Co., Ltd.

1951

Received a Ministry of International Trade and Industry industrialization test grant for research related to using palm oil in industrial applications and the development of plasticizer dioctyl phthalate for vinyl chloride

1951

Held the Fun Night for Lion Soap Users (this later became the Lion Jab Jab Show)

1951

Launched Lion Shampoo Powder

1953

Launched Lion Powder Laundry Soap for Washing Machines

1953

Built the Company's first spray drying tower

1956

Launched Lipon F, the world's first kitchen detergent for washing fruits, vegetables and tableware. Lipon F was the first product endorsed by the Japan Food Hygiene Association and created an entirely new market.

1956

Built a second spray drying tower for the manufacture of granular synthetic detergent.
(Photo) Completed in April 1956, the tower as 7 meters in diameter, 20 meters high, and had a daily production capacity of two metric tons. For a short time, the tower provided more than sufficient production capacity, but with growth of Lipon F sales and the commencement of TOP production, the tower was soon operating at maximum capacity.

1957

Established the Lion Household Science Laboratories

1957

Completed the technology for Japan's first continuous sulfonation equipment

1960

Installed equipment for continuous fatty acid ester saponification (the ES method).
Lion began operating new continuous fatty acid ester saponification equipment using the ES method for manufacturing soap. In this method, ester substitution using a methanol medium was used to produce methyl ester from fats and oils. This was then saponified using caustic soda to produce soap, and the methanol freed was then circulated for re-use.

1961

Announced the creation of a manufacturing complex with The Lion Dentifrice Co., Ltd.

1962

Launched Japan's first foam-suppressing laundry detergent, Hi TOP

1963

Launched Acron, a laundry detergent for wool and other delicate fabrics

1967

1967

1968

Established the All Lion Society in cooperation with The Lion Dentifrice Co., Ltd.

1968

Completed the Osaka Plant on October 1. In addition to increasing the Company's production capacity, the factory was built with a warehouse that shipped products throughout the Kansai region through shipping centers, greatly helping to modernize the Company's distribution operations.

1970

Launched Emeron Cream Rinse hair conditioner. Marketing involved a famous television commercial and the product became a hit.

1971

Completed the new head office building in April 1971

1971

Built the Biological Experiment Center in Odawara as a joint venture with The Lion Dentifrice Co., Ltd. (later reorganized as the Biological Science Research Laboratories)

1972

Established the Consumer Consultation Office (later renamed the Consumer Service Office)

1973

Launched Seseragi, Japan's first phosphate-free detergent

1975

Launched Spark 25, a compact detergent with low phosphate content

1977

Participated in an international soap and detergent conference and presented technology for manufacturing low-phosphate detergent

1978

Established Lion Products Co., Ltd. with a view to merging with The Lion Dentifrice Co., Ltd.

1979

Launched TOP, a laundry detergent with enzyme power

1979

Launched Mama Royal, a soft-on-the-skin dishwashing detergent

1980

Merged with The Lion Dentifrice Co., Ltd. to form Lion Corporation

Lion Corporation 1980-

1980

Launched Between Lion, a toothbrush designed to clean between the teeth

1980

Launched a phosphate-free version of Enzyme Power TOP

1981

Launched CLINICA Lion, a toothpaste with enzymes that break down cavity-causing dental plaque

1982

Launched Charmy Green, a soft-on-the-skin dishwashing detergent

1985

Created the Pinpon System to reflect customer input in products. This system was replaced with the New Pinpon System in 1996.

1986

Launched Smile Ace antibacterial eyedrops

1988

Launched Hi TOP super-concentrated laundry detergent with high-performance enzymes. Just 25 g of this detergent was sufficient to clean a typical load of laundry.

1991

Held a ceremony celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Company's founding (a company history, 100 Years of Lion, was published the following year)

1991

Commercialized PSS, an additive for coal-water-mixture fuel for thermal power generation